Street Food

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT STREET FOOD - PAGE 5

It's more a ripple than a wave, but we'll take it - the uptick in Indian street-food eats beyond the buffet-alley along the Penn campus. There's Desi Chaat House, serving up the fried crisps, chickpeas, and yogurt at 42d and Baltimore. And for steam-table classics, tiny, tidy Mumbai Bistro, at Ninth and Locust. Now say hello to dosas, those grand, paper-thin moons of rice crepes, debuting in the no-frills precincts of the new Philadelphia Chutney Company, 16th and Sansom. There's other South Indian vegetarian fare there (tikka, and idli and uttpa)

What is it? The owners of Calypso (formerly of the Chestnut Hill Farmers Market) went mobile last year with Mini Trini, featuring a simple menu of delicacies from the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Real street: Owner Iman Marcano said their most popular item is the traditional street food called double. "The same way you buy hot dogs on the street, [double is] what people are selling on the corners in Trinidad," Marcano said. A double is fried dough (bara) filled with curried chickpeas (chana)

Summer Openings The summer restaurant scene will bring but one blockbuster opening: Cheesecake Factory's first Center City location, which opened Tuesday at 15th and Walnut Streets. Also, Cheesecake's internationally focused Grand Lux Cafe opens this week at the King of Prussia mall, across the mall property from another Cheesecake Factory. Together, the two new restaurants employ more than 500 people. On Thursday, the Main Line gets a b.good (Wynnewood Shopping Center, Wynnewood)

Three men were arrested in connection with an attempted robbery Tuesday of a corner store in Overbrook in which a clerk was shot in the head, police said Friday. Eric Flood, 25, of the 2200 block of North Salford Street in Overbrook, and Devron Lewis, 24, and Devin Miller, 22, both of Darby Borough, were charged with aggravated assault and related offenses. Miller was charged with attempted murder. Flood and Lewis were charged with attempted criminal homicide. About 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, at the 65th Street Deli Food Market, at 65th Street and Lebanon Avenue, the three men allegedly attempted to rob the store, police said.

What to eat: Tacos! Two for $6. Carne Asada (skirt steak), Pollo Asado (chicken) and Al Pastor (roast pork with pineapple). Try the rice and beans ($4), made with fire-roasted tomatoes. Drinks, including Mexican Cola and Jarritos, are $1.50. Don't miss: The homemade sauces are what set this cart apart. They are The Green, The Red and The Ugly, in order of ascending hotness. Green is tomatillo-based, with some poblanos and jalapeños. Red kicks it up a notch with Chile de árbol and pequins.

The Flying Deutschman What to get: Start with the bratwurst ($4), because if you're having German street food, you gotta start with some sausage. This juicy, grilled link is The Flying Deutschman's best seller, served with their German mustard on a piece of cardboard with a tiny slice of bread. Rip off a small piece of the cardboard and use that to hold the bratwurst as you eat it, says truck owner Stirling Sowerby, a native of Germany. Other main menu items include five types of schnitzel ($5 to $6.50)

Ten years ago this month, Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney popped open the door of Lolita , a Mexican BYOB on 13th Street between Chestnut and Sansom. The BYOB launched their restaurant empire, all within several blocks - Barbuzzo, Jamonera, and Little Nonna's. They also own the grocery store Grocery; a gift shop, Verde; and a furnishings store, Open House. The neighborhood grew up, too, and Lolita needed a liquor license. Safran and Turney decided to renovate, as well. They closed in August.